Les Arts Florissants perform Monteverdi: Madrigals, Book V

To give a rendition of the the eight books of madrigals by Monteverdi, this was Paul Agnew's extensive project... The concerts started in 2011 with the singers of Les Arts Florissants and has continued since then. This concert represents the perfect opportunity to hear the fifth book of madrigals.

For this book, Monteverdi has created a new style which highlights the power of the words. Eleven madrigals in this book are written after the Pastor Fido, a pastoral tragic comedy by Giovanni Battista Guarini; this gives the work a kind of theatracallity and puts the text in the spotlight to the detriment of the usual harmony rules. Giulio Cesare, Monteverdi's brother, once declared: "My brother said that he does not left his work to chance, because, in his kind if music, he wants to give to the worlds the control of the harmony."

This concert was part of the complete Monteverdi Madrigals series performed by Les Arts Florissants conducted by Paul Agnew at the Cité de la Musique, and at the théâtre de Caen.

Les Arts Florissants are supported by the Ministry of Culture and Communication, la Ville de Caen and the Région Basse-Normandie. They are in residency at the théâtre de Caen. Imerys and Alstom are the great benefactors of Les Arts Florissants.